Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini has announced the arrest of a Hamptons-based interior designer for allegedly stealing more than $480,000 from a client.
“Not only did Mr. Bruns and his company not deliver on services promised to their client, but they took this alleged scheme a step further by providing the client with over a dozen forged documents to make it seem like the work had been done,” District Attorney Sini said. “Through this investigation, we were able to uncover their alleged fraudulent actions and the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars from this victim. We are asking anyone else who believes he or she has been a victim of this scheme to please contact my Office.”
Sean M. Bruns, 43, of Southampton, is charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a C felony; two counts of Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a D felony; and two counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, an E felony. His company, Old Town Crossing (“OTC”), is also charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree.
On July 31, 2017, Bruns entered into an agreement with a female client from Shelter Island for interior design and decoration work at a house she owns in Florida. Pursuant to the agreement, the client would pay Bruns and OTC the price of all home furnishings plus a markup fee of approximately 30%. On July 11, 2018, following receipt of an itemized list of furniture selections, the client paid Bruns and OTC approximately $593,919 to purchase the home furnishings.
In August 2018, after expressing dissatisfaction with the progress of the project and having not received any of the furnishings, the client terminated the agreement and requested delivery of any furniture that had been purchased as well as an accounting and refund of any additional funds.
Bruns and OTC allegedly provided the client with forged and fraudulent invoices and receipts purported to be from the furniture vendors showing that payment for the furniture had been received. Pursuant to the investigation, the District Attorney’s Office obtained copies of the invoices from the vendors and found inconsistencies between those documents and the ones provided to the client by Bruns.
The client was able to recuperate $104,462.19 from furniture vendors that had received partial payment from Bruns and OTC, resulting in an outstanding balance of $489,456.81 paid to Bruns and OTC for which the client did not receive furniture or a refund.
District Attorney Sini urges anyone who believes he or she is a victim of this defendant to call the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Financial Investigations & Money Laundering Bureau at 631-853-4232 or by emailing [email protected].
Bruns was arraigned on the charges today in Southampton Village Justice Court and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on Nov. 10. OTC will be arraigned on Nov. 10.
If convicted of the top count, Bruns faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Imran Ahmed, Deputy Bureau Chief of the Financial Investigations & Money Laundering Bureau.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
